Article excerpt

PI GUY * A police publication and at least one police organization are urging supporters to pick up the phone and complain to Pi Pizzeria.

"Blue Lives Matter" printed a story Tuesday about Chris Sommers, co-founder of the popular Pi restaurants, showing some of Sommers' posts on Twitter missives in which Sommers calls some officers "dimwits" and accuses them of "terrorizing our town, hiding under tactical gear."

Blue Lives Matter responds in its story by saying:

"That 'tactical gear' they were hiding under was to protect them from the assaults that they endured all day. Eleven officers were injured the first day alone, with one suffering a broken jaw and another with a dislocated shoulder after they were pelted with bricks."

Sommers could not be reached for comment. It appeared that Sommers deleted his Twitter account later Tuesday night.

The story also notes that when protesters occupied the Central West End on Friday, Sommers and his staff handed out water to the protesters outside of the Pi store at 400 North Euclid Avenue.

The police publication notes at the end of the story, "Let's get the word out that if you bash the police, you won't be getting our business."

The St. Louis County Police Organization has reprinted the story on its Facebook page and goes on to ask friends to call the stores.

"We have been busy protecting everyone's free speech during the demonstrations. Here are the numbers if you feel like your freedom of speech needs a little exercise...." the county police page notes.

The post lists numbers for the Central West End, downtown St. Louis and Delmar Loop Pi locations. There is another full-service pizzeria in Kirkwood and a carryout-only location in Chesterfield.

In a statement made in a Facebook post late Tuesday or early Wednesday, Sommers criticized the police's action Friday night, calling it "terrorizing" and "alarming" and lambasted officers for what he described as the unwarranted use of tear gas and rubber bullets.

Sommers continues to say that since he began criticizing police, "I have become public enemy #1 to every 'Blue Lives Matter' fanboy. They have been terrorizing my teams on the phone (after the Union posted all of our phone numbers on Facebook), threatening me and my businesses . …